Heartwarming World Cup Stories

It is easy to get caught up in all the competition and aggression that follows the World Cup, especially if your home country gets knocked out. However, the tournament’s silver lining is the inspiring and touching moments that are maybe not so visible to the average sports fan. Here are a few of our favorite moments we would like to share with you:

At the start of each match, a child escorts every player onto the field. The children are randomly selected from around the world to be 1 in 1,408 to walk a player into the stadium. Australian player, Mark Bresciano, accompanied by his young fan, reaches down to tie the boy’s shoe during the pre-game festivities.

In 2010, when Brazil beat South Africa, a young fan ran out onto the field. When security was going after the boy to remove him, Neymar, Brazil’s lead scorer, scooped the young fan under his arms and brought him to celebrate the victory with the team.